G. A. Wall to L. B. Hermelink and V. J. Liotta on Respirators and Incentive Pay (1972)

A two-page confidential memo of June 21, 1972, from G. A. Wall to L. B. Hermelink at Waukegan and V. J. Liotta at Manville, headed "Effect of Respirator & Protective Clothing Use on Job Rates & Incentive Standards." After reviewing the OSHA asbestos standard that took effect June 7, 1972, Wall wrote, "We are particularly concerned with the economic impact of the dust standards upon job rates and incentive standards of hourly employees," and with the cost of disposable versus reusable respirators and clothing. He asked each plant to list the jobs where respirators were and were not worn, and to estimate the savings or added cost of removing or adding pay credit for wearing them.

What it shows

Wall noted that the new rules did not allow respirators as "a permanent means of complying with the standards," and that the Environmental Control Department said "some of the sampling stations at the plants are out of control relative to the 1972 TLV," with most of these to be corrected within two years. Some wage incentive standards included a 10% allowance for wearing a respirator. The survey this memo set off at Manville is Liotta's memo of June 27.

In Johns-Manville's chronology

Johns-Manville's own chronology of what the company knew describes this document as follows:

G.A. Wall memorandum dated 6/21/72 to L.B. Hermelink (Waukegan) and V.J. Liotta (Manville) re "Effect of Respirator and Protective Clothing Use on Job Rates and Incentive Standards."